We are considering getting a cat, but we need to do our homework first. It's been a long time since I owned one.

Litter? What's the best kind? I've heard that clay isn't the best. What are the other options, sawdust, wheat, recycled newspaper? Cost? Should we have two litterboxes, we have a large home.

Does anyone have an automated scooping litterbox?

Do cats need cat friends?

What's the best food? I feed my dogs Taste of the Wild, I'm very conscious of finding appropriate, high-protein, grain-free, all-natural options regardless of cost. What are the costs, and how long does a bag last?

If we get one from a friend, he will be aindoor, front-declawed cat. What toys/scratching posts are good?

I would probably get a self cleaning litter box. It will take adjusting to ur house from friend. Make sure all animals ok with each other. There are different types like if we got one we would look at hairless because hubby allergy... same if we got dog (indoor ) for me. We had outside neighborr cat. Loved milk. Food & all I think is up to u. My hubby was in an apt with cat that pooped everywhere & regular litter was all over the athroom....

i have 5 cats & my rule of thumb is dont cheap out on the litter or food.
we feed them Iams. although it isnt the best, it is the only one all 5 agree to eat without contemplating killing us in our sleep.

We use Max Cat [max scoop?] or Arm & Hammer litter. we pay roughly $8-$12 on litter & $15 on food every two weeks.
Some people think im nutso for not just going cheap but i can notice a huge difference in smell, ease of cleaning and the amount of cleaning i do in the litter boxes if we go cheapo.

i should probably add, i also have 2 ferrets who have their own littler box and a steady supply of Iams in their cage so we do go through a lot.

__________________samma!
we're a 2 mama household on the journey of TTC'ing which will then be followed by fostering. http://justsamma.com

I have 2 cats. They are older now, so mostly sleep. they like to sit in the windows so I try to keep 2 or 3 available for them to get on the ledge. We have 2 litter boxes in the laundry room and use Arm and Hammer multi cat. It has better odor control and clumping. Science Diet food. So we probably spend $15/month on litter and $25/month on food.

We have a fountain water bowl. I can go a week without changing the water. You do have to buy filters. We got it at Petco. They are really picky and I had to clean and refresh their water bowl every day.

I have another expense I added because one of my girls is pretty messy. I don't use liners in the litter pans, but I do purchase the dog training pads to put under the litter pans. It makes cleaning up a lot easier for me. I just toss the soiled pads and replace every 3 or 4 days.

I have never ever been without a cat in my whole life. Right now I have 3, none can have food with red dye in it, makes them puke, and one scratches herself so bad her fur falls out, so that said I do get cheaper food but it has no red dye (Whiskas)
I think I spend about $12 a bag and it last 3-4 weeks.
Litter I like the scoopable stuff and I clean it out 2 times a day. I get fresh steps. and its about $15/month.
One out of 3 has been declawed but he still likes to pretend he has them and scratches on the cat post. Mine love simple toys, balls, string, cat nip.

I have a Siamese cat that is going on 4 years old. I use Arm and Hammer litter since that's the best choice we have here. I'm in Germany and our commissary doesn't have a huge selection for pets. He eats Nutro food, a bag is less than $12 and lasts about 3 weeks I think. They just started carrying Blue Buffalo for cats so I'm considering switching him to that. Not sure I should though since he does wonderfully on Nutro and it is a good quality of food.

He doesn't really play with cat toys since they are so small and our huge American Bulldog could swallow them. He loves to play the dog toys though and those stuffed mice from Ikea. He also enjoys chasing the dog!

I use World's Best Cat Littler clumping formula and I feed Orijen cat and kitten. On the food, hair balls are nonexistent and it has low/no grains and very high real meat content. I spend about 45 dollars on a bag of food that lasts a little over 2 months. The litter is flushable so you don't have to have a bucket for old litter, you can just get rid of it. It also holds odors better than any other natural litter I've tried. It has minimal dust and what does exist is harmless to animals and people. It costs about 20 dollars for a bag that lasts me about two months give or take a week.